In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. Please be seated, dear faithful.

Today’s Gospel shows us three kings who arrive in Bethlehem to pay homage to the Word made flesh—the Lord of heaven and earth, who reveals Himself today to all people. As the Introit of the Holy Mass describes it: behold, the supreme Ruler has already arrived, and in His hand is royal power and might and the government of the world. And we have likely wondered more than once where exactly these three kings came from, and what the beginning of their journey toward the true God looked like.

They were certainly men of exceptional position: well-educated kings, wealthy, who enjoyed respect in their kingdoms. However, when they saw the sign of the star in the sky, they began to search for its meaning; when they reached the conviction that they must leave their entire previous lives behind and set out on a journey toward an unknown God, they were ready to do so. And we can imagine that this decision of theirs—seemingly insane from a human perspective—was met with misunderstanding, perhaps with mockery and derision, but they did not heed what people might think or what people might say. They desired to know the true God. How much courage was needed to set out on this journey, to answer this call, to move through unknown lands toward an unknown God—even though they had hundreds, thousands of pagan idols within their reach. For they were perfectly aware that all of those were a lie, a delusion. They desired to know the true God.

Dear faithful, we must realize today, as we pay homage to the three kings, as we commemorate the adoration they offered to the Divine Child, that one cannot seek the true God while standing still. One cannot, my dear ones, expect that the Lord God will hand us everything on a silver platter. Each of us is called to set out on the same journey that the three kings made 2,000 years ago. And each of us, like them, is not alone on this journey. Each of us is accompanied by a supernatural star—a star pointing the way to the true God. A star given to us by God Himself, who reveals Himself, who desires to lead every person to Himself.

And we hear in the Gospel how greatly they rejoiced with exceeding great joy, as the Evangelist wrote—how the three kings rejoiced when they saw the star that led them toward the true God. And we can imagine with what great zeal they gazed into the light of that star; they did not turn their eyes from it for even a moment. My dear ones, and how do we treat this star, this light that the Lord God gives us? The light of the Catholic religion, whose supernatural brilliance leads us, after all, toward the knowledge of the true God. So often we do not know the truths of the religion of Christ because we do not even try to know them. So often we are religious ignoramuses. We close our eyes to the brilliance showing the way to heaven and we wander onto the trackless wilds, plunged in darkness.

Dear faithful, do Catholics living in the 20th century differ from the pagans who mocked the three kings searching for God? Probably not, for we too live comfortably in the shadow of the pagan idols of the modern world. And we Catholics are not ready to set out on a journey toward the true God. And we are more concerned about what people will say, what they will think. And we are not ready to sacrifice anything for the Lord Jesus. And what does it matter if, as we hear in the Preface of today’s Holy Mass, when Your only-begotten Son appeared in our mortal nature, He granted us anew the light of His immortality—if we flee from this light granted to us anew and prefer to live in darkness like the pagans?

Yesterday I went shopping; somewhere in the shop, there was a radio broadcast in the background and debates about the weather. "How good it is that we have snow." And the editor laments: "Oh, what a misfortune, because a generation would grow up that does not know snow. How great a misfortune!" But is it not a much greater misfortune that another generation is growing up that does not know God? But on this matter, my dear ones, there is no one left to lament.

My beloved, we desire today to join the three kings. Regardless of how long our journey lasts, regardless of how numerous the adversities we come to face, we know perfectly well that the star of our Holy Catholic religion—if only we faithfully follow its light—will allow us to reach the desired goal. It will allow us to know the true God. And we heard in today’s Gospel that the magi, entering the house, found the child with Mary His mother, and falling down, they adored Him. And as a sign of our participation in the adoration offered to the Divine Child, we too bent our knees. May we bend our knees before the Lord God not only once a year, not only on a great feast, but may we bend our knees before the true God, before our Savior, as often as possible and bring Him our gifts: the gold of living faith, the myrrh of sincere hope, and the frankincense of the love for God and neighbor burning within us.

Dear faithful, today’s Gospel also contains a very significant warning. We hear that, having received an answer in sleep that they should not return to Herod, they went back by another way into their own country. By another way—because he who has known the true God can no longer walk the same way he walked in his life until now. He who has known the true God must change the paths of his life. He who has known the true God must also realize that the true God has a whole mass of enemies here on earth—those who hate Him, those who would desire to put Him to death. And we must beware of these people. These modern Herods, burning with the same hatred for the Divine Child, must be avoided, my dear ones, for they lie in wait for our faith.

These Herods, dressed today so often in chasubles—also Roman ones—in mitres, desire to put to death the Divine life in our souls. Keep this in mind, my dear ones. Be on your guard. And having offered adoration to the Divine Child today, let us firmly resolve to keep our eyes wide open, to beware of those Herods who come to us today with a smile—an "American" smile—on their faces. Amen.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.



Original Polish